Imithombo yolwazi emikhulu iyindawo yonke, kodwa ukuyisebenzisela uphando lwentlalo lunokuba lukhohlisayo. Kwamava am, kukho into efana ne "akukho mrhunga wamahhala" kwidatha: ukuba awufaki umsebenzi omningi ukuqokelela, mhlawumbi uya kufuneka ubeke umsebenzi omningi ucinge ngako kwaye ku hlalutya.
Imithombo enkulu yedatha yanamhlanje-kwaye mhlawumbi kusasa-iya kuba neempawu ezili-10. Ezi zintathu zazo ziqhelekileyo (kodwa kungekho rhoqo) ezincedayo kuphando: lukhulu, luhlala luhlala lukhona, kwaye alusebenzi. Ezi sixhenxe ziqhelekileyo (kodwa kungekho rhoqo) ingxaki kwiingcaphephe: ezingaphelelanga, ezingenakufikeleleka, ezingabonakaliyo, ukuqhubela phambili, ukuchithwa ngokuchanekileyo, ukungcola, kunye nobuthathaka. Uninzi lwezi ziphumo zigqitywa ngokugqithisileyo kuba imithombo ekulu yolwazi ayilwanga ngenjongo yophando loluntu.
Ngokusekelwe kwiingcamango ezikule sahluko, ndicinga ukuba kukho iindlela ezintathu ezibalulekileyo ukuba imithombo yolwazi emikhulu iya kubaluleke kakhulu kuluntu uphando. Okokuqala, banokwenza abaphandi bakwazi ukugqiba phakathi kokuqikelela okubambisanayo. Imizekelo yalo hlobo lomsebenzi iquka i- Farber (2015) (abashayeli bamatekisi baseNew York) kunye King, Pan, and Roberts (2013) (ukunyanzeliswa kweChina). Okwesibini, imithombo ebanzi yedatha ingenza umlinganiselo ophuculweyo kumgaqo-nkqubo ngokusasazwa ngoku. Umzekelo wolu hlobo lomsebenzi Ginsberg et al. (2009) (i-Google Flu Trends). Ekugqibeleni, imithombo ebanzi yedatha ingancedisa abaphandi ukuba baqikelele i-causal estimation ngaphandle kokuvavanya. Imizekelo yalolu hlobo lomsebenzi Mas and Moretti (2009) (iimpembelelo zontanga kwimveliso) kunye no- Einav et al. (2015) (umphumo wexabiso lokuqala kwiintengiso kwi-eBay). Noko ke, nganye yezi ndlela, zifuna ukuba abaphandi bazise ezininzi iinkcukacha, njengenkcazo yobungakanani obubalulekileyo ukuqikelela okanye iimbono ezimbini ezenza izibikezelo ezikhuphisanayo. Ngaloo ndlela, ndicinga ukuba indlela efanelekileyo yokucinga malunga nemithombo emininzi yemithombo enokuyenza kukuba banokunceda abaphandi abanokubuza imibuzo enomdla kwaye ibalulekileyo.
Ngaphambi kokugqiba, ndicinga ukuba kukufanelekile ukuba sicinge ukuba imithombo ebalulekileyo yedatha ingaba nempembelelo ebalulekileyo kulwalamano phakathi kwedatha kunye nenkolelo. Kuze kube ngoku, esi sahluko sithathile ukuqhutyelwa kophando lwezobugcisa. Kodwa imithombo yedatha big kwakhona ukuba abaphandi ukuba enze esithile luqhutywa empirically. Oko kukuthi, ngokuqokelela ngokucophelela amaqiniso, iipateni kunye neepuzzle, abaphandi bangakha imibono emitsha. Le ndlela, indlela yokuqala yedatha yesahluko ayiyinto entsha, kwaye ibininzi kakhulu ibhalwe nguBarney Glaser noAnselm Strauss (1967) kunye nefowuni yabo ye- theory . Le ndlela yokuqala yedatha, nangona kunjalo, ayichazi "ukuphela kweengcamango," njengoko kuye kwafunyanwa kwezinye zeendaba ezijikelezayo zophando kwi-digital age (Anderson 2008) . Kunoko, njengoko uguquko lweenkcukacha, kufuneka silindele ukuhlaziywa phakathi kobudlelwane phakathi kwedatha kunye nenkolelo. Ehlabathini apho ukuqoqwa kwedatha kubiza khona, kwacaca ukuba kuqokelelwe kuphela idatha ebonisa ukuba iya kuba yiluncedo kakhulu. Kodwa, kwihlabathi apho ixabiso elikhulu leenkcukacha sele lifumaneka mahhala, kunengqiqo nokuba uzame indlela yokuqala yedatha (Goldberg 2015) .
Njengoko ndibonise kule sahluko, abaphandi banokufunda okuninzi ngokujonga abantu. Kwizahluko ezithathu ezilandelayo, ndiza kuchaza indlela esinokufunda ngayo izinto ezahlukeneyo kunye neendlela ezahlukeneyo xa sifuna ukuqokelela idatha yethu kunye nokusebenzisana nabantu ngokuchanekileyo ngokubabuza imibuzo (isahluko 3), ukuqhuba iimvavanyo (isahluko 4), kwaye kubandakanyeka kwenkqubo yophando ngokuthe ngqo (isahluko 5).